Provide the Best of Both Worlds in a Covid-Constant world

It just never seems to end. COVID-19. It has evolved into Covid 2022. Just when we thought we could breathe a sigh of relief, it morphs into another form and invades again. And again. And again.

It affects everyone. In our families. Schools. Hospitals. Locally. Nationally. Globally.

What does that mean to our nonprofits? How do we effectively fundraise, not in a post-Covid world, but in a Covid-constant world?

What about hosting events? Some have tried totally virtual events. Some bravely organized in-person galas, 5k races, and auctions this past year. And then we saw the invention and success of hybrid events. Is this the best of both worlds? Is this a phenomenon here to stay?

Let’s listen in to a post-hybrid event evaluation session at a nearby nonprofit. They had recently completed their annual Gala. Some guests purchased tickets online and others bought actual paper tickets. They attended virtually in their jeans and slippers. Others put on suits and gowns, came and sipped wine, ate the delicious meal, and enjoyed the program in person. It was a magical night to remember. And a night where lessons were left to be learned.

What were the benefits? What were the challenges? How do we continue to make hybrid events the best of both worlds and not a fraction of the combination?

These are the questions Kara, Director of Advancement, asked everyone assembled in the room – staff, board members, and volunteers directly involved in the event.

CEO, Mike, answered first. “I love the flexibility of these types of events. While the number of people sitting in the chairs wasn’t as many as we’ve had in the past, we had hundreds attend online. And not just attend. But give. Generously. I know we are still getting the numbers in, but it had to have been one of the best overall events in terms of giving that we’ve ever experienced. I thought it was well done.”

“It was well done,” offered Kathy, Director of Operations. “And a lot less expensive. While there were some extra costs for all the added technology, we also didn’t have to rent as large an event space as before. Not buy as much food and drinks. Our overhead costs were significantly less. That’s a factor we always need to consider going forward and planning other events.”

Nate, their IT genius, added, “Yes, lots to be learned. While we offered some new options for live interaction, there were some glitches. We were busy all evening keeping all the streaming technology running so the people at home could have a seamless event. I don’t think we achieved seamless, but we did get some good feedback from people. And of course, some not so good. We’re working on addressing those issues individually and contacting each person who offered some input and criticisms. Still lots to learn. We want to make sure all the technology wasn’t a distraction to people attending in person too. We’ve reached out to some guests to get their feedback. A few said they were aware of the online component with the extra screens and cameras. And, of course, the emcees had to address the online audience often, which was a little annoying for some people. But for the most part, they had a good experience and enjoyed being in a room again with ‘real people.’ A lot of people need that human interaction again. Those of us in IT are comfortable with screens and virtual relationships. But many people need what we offered that night—a chance to be in the same room with like-minded people. There’s a lot of power in that. As much as I love technology, let’s not ever forget the force of human connection.”

Board member, Alicia, interjected, “Thank you, Nate. As an extrovert who needs people, I totally agree with all of that. And I love that we can broaden our reach and include people from all over the country. That’s nothing we’ve ever been able to do before. It seems like involvement from our donors increased significantly offering this as a live and virtual event. And even offering it as a recorded event was so helpful for those not available at 8:00 pm on the Saturday of the gala. I love that we have so many options.”

Director of Communications, Ike, agreed. “And it’s not just the actual full recordings that are helpful. Bits and pieces of it will be repackaged and reappear in many areas of our content. We can use quotes, video segments, graphics, music… just so many pieces to weave into our social media, newsletters, and blogs. All of that content will keep us full of ideas for our communication calendar for months to come. I’m challenging our team to use it creatively and engage our audience, especially on social media. Because so many people watched it online, they will enjoy the opportunity to express their thoughts and ask questions on all of our platforms. I will keep you posted on what we hear and learn from our audience.”

“Our Advancement team loved offering so many different levels of sponsorship from this hybrid event,” said Kara. “The live and virtual options both have their unique components to give potential sponsors an added incentive to get on board this year. When they realized their businesses would be promoted not just locally, but nationwide, we had many enlist that hadn’t considered joining us before.” https://blog.techsoup.org/posts/the-best-of-both-worlds-making-hybrid-events-work-for-your-organization

Advancement Assistant, Allen, added, “And the auction component was a challenge to set-up, but definitely had benefits with online guests to participate and offer their bids. We definitely can do this better next year, but it was fun to see the participation in the auction be broader. We can consider some added tweaks to the auction next year like adding some flash auction items just to keep the pace exciting. And maybe asking guests to offer ideas on how donations for each item can be used in our work.”

“Great ideas, Allen. Thanks everyone,” Kara said. “I think it’s safe to say that the future of nonprofit event planning is definitely hybrid in this Covid-constant world. It does offer the best of both worlds as we offer something for everyone. Great work. Now, let’s take a break for a week or two before we start planning the next one!”